


A Week Off

by DumpsterDiving101



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Captain America - Freeform, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt/Comfort, Iron Man - Freeform, Light Angst, M/M, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Other, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Civil War (Marvel), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Stucky - Freeform, a week in the life, light stucky, non infinity war complient, restaurant, winter soldier - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 18:54:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14503359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DumpsterDiving101/pseuds/DumpsterDiving101
Summary: Summary: Phil Coulson decided that some of the Avengers lack certain team-working and humility skills, and for their next assignment he sends them to a town in the middle of nowhere USA to work in a restaurant together for a week.This story is meant for anyone who hasn’t seen IW and doesn’t want to be spoiled, everyone who saw it and is an emotional wreck, and everyone who just wants a sweet Avengers fic.





	A Week Off

Steve supposed it was mostly his fault. The tensions in the team had always been high, though they all pretended to be above it. They’d band together to save the world from whatever the current threat was, make some jokes at each other’s expenses, and then go their separate ways. There was no line, there weren’t any boundaries, and Steve supposed that might also be why some of the other Avengers pushed for government control with the Accords.

Then, when Bucky came along, the tensions just grew higher. They fought each other, things got messy, and in the end Steve and Bucky booked it to Brooklyn, close enough to be able to participate in any world ending events, but still hiding right under Tony’s nose. Steve sent him a package too, explaining himself and promising he was not abandoning the Avengers, and for a while he could only hope it was well received.

Meanwhile, Bucky worked on becoming Bucky again, or at the very least, human, not soldier. He was still very quiet, but as the weeks went on he smiled more at jokes, talked a little more, asked questions and enjoyed being obnoxiously domestic with Steve. Bucky worked in demolition, where he could put his intelligence to use fixing the trucks and put his strength to use hauling slabs of concrete. He wasn’t all the way back to normal, not even close, but he did try to minimize his old Winter Soldier habits. Steve knew that he spied on the other Avengers, even though Bucky didn’t say it out loud. Whenever they came back to their apartment Steve would unwind and get something to drink while Bucky sweeped the apartment for bugs. Bucky found recording devices two different times, a hidden camera once, and tracking software in Steve’s jackets four times. Half of the tech had the Stark Industries logo on it.

They were at the third apartment when a mad scientist ran wild and planted bombs in five different states, and the captain was called out to duty. It was awkward at first, but as soon as the fighting started all of the broken fences were mended. At one point they were badly outnumbered and surrounded, and only then did Bucky appear, fighting alongside the Captain like they had been all their lives, which in a way, they had. As soon as the fighting ended, he disappeared back into the shadows. “What the fuck, where’d he go?” Tony said, still in full armor except for his helmet. “You guys saw him too, right?”

Then, at the end, Steve was left standing in the boardroom with all of the other Avengers staring at him. Tony managed to stay quiet for almost a full ten seconds before saying “So. Cap. There’s a room open at Stark tower…”

“Thanks, but I’m good,” he responded immediately.

“Your murderous butt-buddy can come too,” Tony added helpfully.

“ _Tony_.”

“He’s not a murderer,” Steve objected. “Or… the other thing. I think. I don’t know what it means, but please no one tell me.”

“I have a really strong urge to tell you now.”

“Tony.”

“Have you ever heard of tumblr? Wonderful site. I’m sure it could teach you a lot about the things that are different since the twentieth century-”

Phil Coulson walked in, and even Tony shut up for a moment. “Sup.”

“Agents,” Phil greeted, smiling easily. “Captain.”

“Agent Coulson,” Steve greeted, standing straighter to greet his superior. “What can we do for you?”

Phil walked around the conference table, making eye contact with Natasha, who gave a small, pursed lips nod. “Captain, can you tell me: is this group a unified front?” Agent Coulson asked.

Steve shifted slightly. He glanced at the others, all of them silent. Tony tilted his head. “No, sir.”

“This was a small event,” Agent Coulson narrated. “A mad scientist gone rogue. We handle this type of thing every Tuesday.”

Bruce scratched the back of his neck, and Tony picked at his fingernails, both trying not to meet anyone's eyes.

“And yet, we struggled,” Phil continued. “Agent Romanoff, can you tell me why?”

“We didn't work well as a team. There were still too many tensions.”

“Still _are_ too many tensions,” Phil corrected. “I know you're all exhausted. Despite the lack of teamwork, you still did well together. We can finish this conversation later, say, Friday? And Steve, I need you to bring Barnes with you.”

At this, Steve’s heartbeat jumped. “Sir?”

“He is a part of this team, in one way or another. He needs to be a part of this.”

Steve nodded curtly, crossing his hands in front of him and looking at the floor. Agent Coulson glanced around the conference room. “Anything else?”

“Ooh,” Tony said, raising his hand. “Can we have this talk at my place? I installed a new pizza oven and just learned how to make my own churros.”

Everyone looked at him, but Tony didn't respond, looking like nothing was out of the ordinary. “That's fine with me,” Phil decided.

“Okay guys, Friday at 7 at my place. At ease,” Tony ordered, pretending to be in command. He stood, clasping his hands and then grabbing his dismembered iron man gauntlet from the table, pointing it at Steve in a ‘I've got my eyes on you’ manner, warning “I swear that if your boytoy destroys my house, Imma be _pissed_. And you won't like me when I'm angry.” He sauntered out of the room, metal gauntlet in tow.

“Did he just steal my catchphr- aaaand he's gone,” Bruce said quietly, watching as Tony swaggered off into the distance.

\-----------

**Friday**

Bucky didn't seem to know what to do with the pizza. The plate sat on his lap like he wasn't sure where to take it, both pieces untouched.

“Try this,” Tony suggested, plopping a churro on his plate. “They're homemade.”

“I have to admit, when you said homemade I thought you were the one actually making them, not Jarvis,” Clint said.

Tony flashed him a smile. “I made Jarvis, therefore I made those churros. Now eat up, I may or may not have made too many.”

“May or may not,” Bucky repeated, picking up his churro with the tips of his fingers.

“That's Tony for ‘I made 500 churros and I don't know what to do with them,” Natasha translated, climbing over a couch and walking over to the couch Bucky was sitting on against the wall. She plopped down and looked at Bucky, speaking in Russian. Bucky replied softly in perfect Russian and they exchanged words quickly.

Bruce walked over and sat on the couch across from them, followed by Thor. “Wait, you guys know each other?”

They looked at each other again, talking back and forth more urgently now. Finally, they stopped and Bucky looked over. “No.”

Steve sat on the other side of Bucky, putting his arm on the couch behind him. “What have you been up to lately, Bruce?”

“I've been studying differing effects of gamma radiation on plants to observe how it affects the cell walls.”

“Oh. Neat.”

“It’s not just neat,” Tony butted in, “Doctor Banner here is quite literally trying to turn a flower into a little Hulk. It's inspiring. Not to mention, gamma is my favorite type of radiation.”

“This is delicious!” Thor announced after taking a bite from his churro. “What is it made out of?”

“Hmm, mostly illicit drugs.” Tony looked at Steve, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m kidding.”

“Can everyone sit down so we can get started?” Agent Coulson requested, entering from the kitchen. Everyone shuffled over, all conversation stopping almost instantly. Next to Steve, Bucky’s metal hand twitched, closing in a fist subtly. Steve pretended not to notice.

“I’m going to try and keep this brief,” Agent Coulson started, wiping his hands on a napkin. “You guys aren’t working well as a team. The tensions are too high. So, we’ve decided on a group bonding activity that will not only improve your teamwork skills and comradery, but also give some of you some much needed world experience.”

“This is for you,” Tony translated, pointing in Steve and Bucky’s general direction.

“Partially,” Phil continued, undeterred by the interruption. “However, I would argue that both Steve and Barnes are nearing- what is it, Captain? Ninety-seven?”

“Ninety-eight, I believe.”

Bucky leaned over slightly. “You don’t look a day over sixty.”

“Thanks Buck’.”

Bucky cracked a small, sly smile, and immediately Tony freaked. “What the hell was that, did you guys see that too? Has he always been able to do that?”

“Shut up for once, Tony,” Natasha complained. “ _Please_.”

“As I was saying, many of the people in this room are in need of more worldly experience, which is why it has been arranged for you guys to take a… group retreat.”

Thor stopped eating churros for a moment to stare up at Agent Coulson. “A group retreat,” he mused. “Might I suggest the spas of Asgard? You’ve never felt true hydration until you’ve had an Asgardian Fungus Wrap.” No one responded, so after a moment Thor explained, “The fungus is actually still alive as they cover your nude body with it. It digests your dead skin, leaving you hydrated and freshly exfoliated. That’s how I retain my child-like glow.”

“That, and the fact that you’re an asgardian deity.”

“That also helps.”

“Not that kind of retreat,” Phil said patiently. “It will be a working retreat. I have arranged for the five of you to work in a restaurant in Wyoming for a week.”

Immediately, everyone began objecting, and Phil waited patiently for it to die down. “Five? Why did Bucky need to come then?” Steve questioned.

“Bucky’s going, I’m not,” Natasha explained. “Clint and I are both professionally trained in ‘teamwork’ and ‘world experience’. And anyways, someone has to keep an eye on the world while you guys are gone.”  
  
“Phil, I don’t think this is going to work out for me,” Tony started, “I have meetings, and you know, very important professional stuff-”

“Yeah, me too,” Bruce added. “I can’t leave my plants on their own, I’ve already started the trial phases of radiation.”

“The proper arrangements will be made,” Phil promised. “You have a weekend. Barnes, do you have any questions or concerns?”

Everyone stopped talking to look at Bucky, who was still sitting silently, though a bit stiffer. There were a few beats before he spoke up, his voice low and hoarse. “Why do I need to go?”

“You’ve been an important part of the… changes to this group,” Phil said, somehow able to be professional and gentle at the same time. “I think that it would be very beneficial for you to go.”

Bucky stayed quiet, but Steve could almost hear the next question he wanted to ask: _and what if I disappear before then?_

They waited for the threat. This was always the part where the person in charge said “and if you don’t…” etc etc etc, and threaten Bucky. Then, Bucky could start planning his escape to India, or Mexico, or Russia, or wherever, and disappear until needed again.

But that never came. “As an official part of the Avengers, Captain, I do think it is necessary for you to go, but Barnes, if you do not think you’ll be able to, we can talk later.”

Everyone was still quiet, waiting for the threat. “Any questions?” Phil asked. No one responded. “You can call me if you think of any. We meet back at the base on Monday.” He looked around, but no one added any comments. “Great. Thank you for hosting, Tony, the churros were amazing.”

Tony gave him a small nod, still thinking. For once, Tony Stark was at a loss for words.

—————-

Steve leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. He kept an eye on Bucky as he talked to Agent Coulson, though he couldn’t tell how the conversation was going. Agent Coulson had the perfect poker face; he smiled fondly and casually, but also just barely, giving him an easy-going, calm expression. Steve could only see the back of Bucky's head, but if Bucky was stoic like he’d been for most of the night, then seeing his expression may not do much good anyways.

Tony walked over, crossing his arms. He glanced over at the two who were still talking, their voices too quiet to hear. “What do you think about all this?”

Steve shrugged. “If Agent Coulson thinks it’s a good idea, then it’s at least worth a try.”

Tony nodded. “I think it sounds like bullshit. Yeah, let’s send the Avengers to Wyoming for a week and just hope nothing happens. Doesn’t sound suspicious or anything.”

Steve checked that Agent Coulson wasn’t looking before leaning in. “I’m expecting you to keep an eye on what’s going on,” he mumbled, speaking quickly. “We’ll all bring our gear, and at the first sight of trouble we’re out.”

Tony nodded. “Sounds good. And Cap’...” Tony hesitated, glancing back behind him. “How do you think he’s going to do with all of this?”

“He should be fine. At least, I hope. Bucky’s been through a lot, I’m sure he’ll do fine working in a restaurant.”

“Ah shit, we’re going to have to work, won’t we. I didn’t think this through.”

Steve shrugged, and Tony patted him on the shoulder before hurrying back to his kitchen, likely already plotting. Steve wasn’t sure exactly what he’d be plotting, but he had a feeling that ‘plotting’ was Tony’s constant state.

Bucky walked over, looking a little… off. He wasn’t pale, like Steve would expect; instead, he was a little pink. Steve waited for him to say something.

“He gave me a choice,” Bucky said, like it was the strangest thing he’d experienced since his last defrosting. “Should I…” He let his words drift off, unfinished.

“I’d like you to come with,” Steve said quietly. “It’d be nice, less boring. And Agent Coulson has a point.”

“Then I’ll go.” Bucky’s voice was gruff, his eyes flicking around nervously, as if checking the wall behind Steve for recording devices. “But I’m going armed, and if anyone tries to put a tracker or anything else on me, then I’m fighting my way out.”

“I’ll be right there with you,” Steve agreed. “And before we go… I know he probably was too embarrassed to ask you, but Phil has these trading cards-”

“He asked me. I told him I’d sign them.”

So _that’s_ why Bucky was flustered.

—————

**Monday**

It was three days later, after the plane ride to Wyoming. Steve had never been to Wyoming before, but it still felt familiar in a slightly abstract way. It was comfortably warm outside, and they drove through nothingness for a little while, then past farms, then eventually into a town.

Bucky stared out the window for most of the ride, and Steve wasn't sure if he was processing everything that they passed or if he was somewhere else entirely. “I realized yesterday that there was something I forgot to tell you,” Agent Coulson said from behind the wheel, “but this town is particularly… separated from the world. Most people don't have internet, and most people only get the local newspaper. I doubt you'll be able to get a signal out here."

Steve glanced at Tony in the back, who was messing with his watch. He didn't look up from his project, but he did raise his hand in an ‘OK’ gesture. Hopefully that wouldn't affect their plan to keep an ear out for the world ending while they were washing dishes in Wyoming.

“I don't mind,” Thor said from the backseat where he sat in between Bruce and Tony. “My hammer streams cable, Netflix and Hulu.” He sighed nostalgically. “I like watching Game of Thrones. It reminds me of home.”

“Just so you guys know,” Agent Coulson added in quickly as they pulled into the driveway of a farm. “The people in this town may not know who all of you are.”

“Hmm. Don't feel bad about yourself Bruce, you just have to try a more widespread marketing approach,” Tony said sympathetically. “When we get back, we can work on PR. I'm talking Hulk t-shirts, Hulk stress balls, Hulk diapers-”

“Thanks, but I already deal with enough shit.” Bruce responded automatically, then blinked, as if surprised that he said that out loud.

Phil chuckled from the front. “Nice try, but I was actually trying to prepare you in specific Tony. I doubt that many people in this town know about Iron Man.”

Tony splattered, “Excuse me? Clearly that needs to be remedied.”

The car slowed to a stop in front of a yellow farmhouse, and Agent Coulson put it in park. “Not until the week is over. Until then, please try to keep a low profile. No shields, no suit, no lighting summoning, and if we can avoid it, let's keep all of our guns holstered.”

“I'll try to keep from turning into a giant green rage monster, too,” Bruce added calmly.

“That would be appreciated. Now everyone out, and welcome to Wyoming.”

\--------------

They were staying at what Phil called a BnB, though it sounded more like a Boarding House to Steve. Back during the Depression they weren't very common in the city, but outside of town they were a normal thing to hear about. He remembered a night around one of the campfires during the war, talking to other boys from around the country and swapping stories. More than one had a family that ran a Boarding House and was renting out their room while they were away, and more than one had lived in a Boarding House at some point. Somehow Steve’s family had never lost their house, but they'd come close a few times.

Phil introduced them to the owners of the BnB, an older couple who introduced themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Ronnes. Mr. Ronnes was hard of hearing and smiled with a slightly clouded over look, like he wasn't completely aware of his surroundings. Mrs. Ronnes was at least a foot and a half shorter than Steve, with light gray hair pulled back in a looser bun and thin glasses that rested halfway down her nose.

Steve introduced them all by their first names politely, but as soon as he got to Tony Mrs.Ronnes squealed.

“Anthony! It's so good to see you again, how's my favorite grandson?!” She exclaimed in excitement, running over to Tony and standing on her toes to pinch his cheeks.

Tony blinked in surprise, but he went along with it. “I'm good… ‘ma. How have you been since I last visited?”

“Oh, the same, the same. My arthritis is getting worse, but Doctor Mason- do you remember Doctor Mason?- he's put me on a new medication that I think will do the trick.”

Mrs. Ronnes spoke excitedly, filling them in on all of the whereabouts of the town since ‘Anthony’ had last visited. All the while, Mr. Ronnes smiled hazily, nodding from time to time. When Mrs. Ronnes got to a stopping point, Agent Coulson quickly thanked her and said goodbye to everyone, reminding them to be good.

They all gathered their things and Mrs.Ronnes lead them upstairs to their rooms. She only had two guest rooms with three beds total, but Steve immediately volunteered himself and Bucky to sleep on the floor. “It’s fine, really. We’re both out of the army, so we know firsthand how nice a good sleeping bag can be.”

“Oh, army boys! Did you fight in Iraq?”

“Something like that.”

“You see Anthony, I always told you you should enlist. The army is such a good character builder!”

“Actually, I was just recently in Afghanistan,” Tony said matter-of-factly.

“Oh, I didn't know that! What division?”

Tony fumbled with his words for a moment before responding “Engineering.”

Mrs.Ronnes proceeded to tell them about how Mr.Ronnes had served in Vietnam, and about her old neighbor had served in Korea.

Steve nudged Bucky. “It makes you realize just how much we missed, huh."

Bucky gave a little nod in response. “I think I had a mission in Afghanistan once. All I remember is I got sand in my arm and whenever I strangled someone it made an annoying noise.”

Steve grunted.

Mrs.Ronnes got them all set up in their rooms, promising sleeping bags later for Steve and Bucky, who would be sleeping on the floor in the room with Thor.

“Just so you are both aware,” Thor announced as they unpacked, “I do sleep completely nude.”

Steve and Bucky made eye contact for a second before Thor laughed. “I'm kidding! You humans have no sense of sarcasm, no, I sleep in full armor like everyone else.”

They made eye contact again, and Bucky made a face like ‘What?’. Steve shrugged, shaking his head. He honestly didn't know.

After unpacking, Mrs.Ronnes fed them lunch and filled them in on everything that's been going on around town. Someone something had their baby, Mrs.Whoever had a kidney transplant, that-guy-who-works-at-the-post-shop-you-know-Ralph-dont-you is now engaged, etc.

Before lunch Steve had pulled Tony aside, double checking about his ‘grandma’. “Both of my grandmas died before I could know them,” Tony said simply, “but obviously Mrs.Ronnes has a shit grandson who never visits, so I will happily be Anthony for a week.” He pushed his glasses up his nose, waiting for Steve to object, but he just patted Tony on the shoulder.

During lunch, Mr.Ronnes stayed pretty quiet, occasionally asking for someone to pass something to him. When Mrs.Ronnes finished her spiel about the article she'd read on Ebola in America, Steve took the chance to ask “So, Mr.Ronnes, what do you like to do? Do you still work?”

Mr.Ronnes responded slowly, like he had to focus on each word individually before answering. “I farm, mostly.”

“We grow alfalfa for the cows,” Mrs.Ronnes added helpfully. “And we have a chicken coop with 29 hens and 1 rooster, and sometimes we tend to our neighbors animals when they are out of town.”

“Mrs.Ronnes doesn't like leaving town much,” Mr.Ronnes narrated slowly. “So we stay here year-round.”

“Mr.Ronnes goes shopping for me so I don't have to leave the house,” Mrs.Ronnes added. “But sometimes I do walk over to the mailbox and back.”

After lunch, Mr.Ronnes drove them into town to the restaurant they'd be working at. It was a small business, he told them, that served breakfast and lunch. They would work from 5 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. “Lots of older people in this neighborhood,” he explained. “That means lots of early risers. I believe it's open from 6 to 3, but you will have to have an hour before and after for set up and tear down.”

He introduced them to the manager, who told them more about their duties and took them on a tour of the restaurant. There were currently employees bustling around taking care of everything, but starting tomorrow they all had a paid 6-day vacation.

The manager, Todd, took them around and showed them how everything would work. They could switch jobs around if they wanted, so they would have to know how to do everything. After everything was explained, he split them up to shadow some of the actual workers.

At one point, Steve looked up from where he was washing dishes to see a cook teaching Bucky how to chop vegetables. Bucky appeared to be wearing two layers of disposable gloves over his metal hand, and though he held the knife with a sense of familiarity, he wasn't very good at the smooth, gentle motions. Steve watched him furrow his brows in concentration, slowly cutting a carrot like the cook had demonstrated.

They were only there for a few hours, but by the end they were all exhausted. The actual workers showed them how to clean up, which took far longer than Steve had expected, and then Mr.Ronnes was outside in his pickup truck. “The van was my neighbors, but they needed it back. One person can sit up front with me, and the rest of you can sit in the back."

“Dibs!” Tony announced, hurrying to get there first. The others climbed into the back, the entire truck shifting under the weight of each new person except for Bruce. He jumped, trying to get some displacement of weight, but the truck stayed solid.

“Even this truck is biased against me,” Bruce grumbled. “Does everyone like the Hulk more than Bruce?”

“Aww, that's not true,” Tony said through the back window. “I know of a few entire cities that are not hulk fans.”

The truck started and Thor remained standing, looking into the distance. The truck began moving forwards but Thor didn't even stumble as he stared off at the horizon.

The truck slowed to a stop and Mr.Ronnes called through the window, “Todd, would you mind sitting down?”

Thor pointed to himself, and he nodded. “Oh, yes. Of course.” He sat criss cross next to Bruce, leaning against the side.

Tony talked to Mr.Ronnes in the front, so the four of them were left without their designated conversationalist.

“Have you ever had a cheeseburger?” Thor said nostalgically. “I tried one my first day on Earth. Amazing food, I would recommend you try it.”

Steve and Bucky looked at each other again. Sometimes, it seemed like most of their communication was silent. “Thor, I grew up in Brooklyn,” Steve said, trying not to sound too annoyed. “I fought for my country in the war. My uniform is literally the Stars and Stripes of the American flag."

“So have you tried one?”

“Cheeseburgers are a very American food,” Bruce explained gently. “It’s like Apple pie, or baseball.”

“Oh, I see.” Thor nodded philosophically. “You know brothers-"

“Brothers?” Bucky repeated.

“I feel as though we have a lot in common,” Thor continued, undeterred. “You two were frozen in time, and I was brought here by my father Odin. We all had much to learn.”

In the front of the car, Tony talked Mr.Ronnes’ ear off. Steve only caught a few words: Jarvis and arc reactor and quantum mechanics. “I think we still do. All of us,” Steve agreed, gesturing back to Tony in the front seat.

\------------

“What should we do with the rest of the day?” Bruce wondered aloud.

“I told Mr.Ronnes I’d take a look at his tractor, something's jammed in it,” Tony said. “Anyone want to help? Bruce?”

“I would, but I'm a scientist, not a mechanic.”

“Yeah but you can hand me a screwdriver just fine. What about Cap? Come on, Capsicle, help a friend out.”

Steve flashed back to a few months ago when he and Tony had nearly killed each other- and Bucky. “Sure. Bucky-"

“I'm fine,” Bucky replied immediately. “I think I'm going to take a nap.”

“Whoa, The Winter Soldier naps?”

“No,” Bucky scowled. “But Bucky does.”

The others mumbled something about unpacking and Tony put a hand on Steve’s shoulder, guiding him back behind the house to the barn. “I have something really cool I want to show you,” he said as they walked past the barn. Behind it sat a simple trailer, like a small moving van. “Behold: my workshop!” Tony unlatched the door and pulled it up, revealing a full mechanics shop, complete with fancy looking computers, a workbench, raw materials, and industrial lighting. “It’s complete with an electrical generator, Wi-Fi, and air conditioning. Whaddya think?”

Steve walked forwards cautiously, checking it out. “It’s… nice? How'd you get all of this?”

“I had it special ordered. And, it's got one more secret.” Tony clapped his hands dramatically, snapping “Jarvis!”

“At your service, sir.” The automated-sounding voice said, making Steve tense; he'd never get used to that.

“What do you need this all for?” Steve asked, squinting from the sun.

Tony shrugged. “Keeping up on the news. Sometimes, when I'm bored I'll hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secure server and read through the new documents. Did you know that we currently have agents in Guam? Amazing.”

Steve still wasn't convinced. “You need all of that for news updates?”

“Oh, and for robots.” When Steve continued looking confused, Tony rolled his eyes, climbing down from the truck. “You didn't think I was actually going to chop lettuce and scramble eggs all day.”

“Don't tell me you're taking the easy way out."

“Don't tell me you're going to insist on making everything more difficult than it actually is. Now come on, let's go fix a tractor.”

\------------

Bucky had said he was going to take a nap. Bucky _lied_.

When Steve came back inside later he was covered in grease and oil stains, and slightly sweaty. He kicked off his shoes and fully intended on going upstairs and waking Bucky, only to find that he was in the kitchen with Mrs.Ronnes. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and he wore a bright pink apron over his dark and gloomy clothes, his right sleeve rolled up to his elbow while his left sleeve remained all the way down. He was still wearing his glove, hiding his metal hand, and Steve knew how much he hated wearing the glove longer than he had to.

Thor and Bruce sat at the small kitchen table, lounging with relaxed smiles on their faces as Mrs.Ronnes and Bucky moved around, preparing dinner. “Why Steve, you look like you just had a rousing experience with Jormungand,” Thor commented brightly.

“I don't know what that is. What are you guys doing?”

“Well, Mrs.Ronnes and Bucky here are making a lasagna and brownies, and Thor and I are being helpful by staying out of the way,” Bruce said brightly.

“Yes, it's very noble,” Thor agreed. “We taste everything to make sure nothing has been tampered with.”

“Who wants to lick the spatula?” Mrs.Ronnes offered brightly. Thor and Bruce both immediately raised their hands to half mast, and Mrs.Ronnes chuckled, practically glowing. She probably seldom had company that was so enthusiastic over her food. “We are actually making two casseroles for dinner, plus sides. I wasn't expecting how much you boys eat! But no worries, I'll make sure there's more than enough to go around.”

Thor was beaming. “I love this woman.”

“Is the pan greased enough?” Bucky asked quietly from the counter.

Mrs.Ronnes scurried over. “It's perfect dear, you can pour the batter in now.”

It was Steve’s turn to grin. He leaned against the counter, careful not to get anything dirty. “‘Dear’?” he teased.

Bucky set down the bowl, walking over to Steve almost as an automatic reaction. He leaned over, whispering “ _Dollface_ ” before retreating back to his corner, the tiniest smirk on his face.

“Aww, he's blushing. You know Rogers, you look a lot younger when you're not scowling all the time.”

\----------

They all devoured dinner. It had been a long time since any of them had had a serious home-cooked meal, and even then, they'd had to make it themselves which was always questionable at best. Tony claimed to be an amazing cook, but Steve didn't remember him ever actually cooking anything.

A while after dinner, Mrs.Ronnes announced that they were going to have a ‘fireside chat’ which made both Bucky and Steve stiffen. “What are fireside chats again?” Tony asked Steve, noticing the way he tensed up.

“It was something from when I was a kid, where we'd sit around the radio and listen to President Roosevelt talk about the depression.”

Tony gave him a long look, obviously trying to read his expression. “You know, sometimes I forget you were a kid in the 1930’s.”

Mrs.Ronnes seemed oblivious to their conversation, instead explaining what their definition of a fireside chat is: pajamas and hot chocolate. It sounded absurdly childish, but no one was about to complain.

Mrs.Ronnes sent them upstairs to get in their ‘jammies’ and they all listened. Steve changed into a plain t-shirt and gray sweatpants, opting to wait outside the room instead of watching Thor and Bucky change. The other door opened, and Steve turned himself towards the familiar voice. “I always thought fireside chats were a nice thing. You know, FDR reassuring everyone that they'd get through it together, etc etc. Why'd you and Barnes both freak out?”

Steve shook his head. “Didn't freak out. It was just a reminder of what things used to be like.”

Tony leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms casually. “Were they bad?”

Steve shrugged. “Money was real tight. Things were rough. But nah, it wasn't all that bad. You're right, the fireside chats were a nice thing, we'd all sit around as a family, when we could at least. But both of our families are dead, so…” he shrugged, not ending the sentence.

Tony sighed after a moment and patted Steve on the shoulder. “Yeah, I get what that's like. But hey, this fireside chat is better than the old ones you had because there’s hot chocolate, so…” he half shrugged, offering up a smile, which Steve gladly returned. “Anyways, we need to get you some better pajamas, Cap. That's just sad."

Steve looked down at his clothes. “What’s wrong with them?” Tony was wearing pretty much the same thing, except… “Are those Iron Man pants?”

Tony grinned, showing them off. “Yeah, they're cool, aren’t they? Did you know that the company that makes these also makes Beanie Baby Avengers? I'm trying to collect them all, but the Hulk one is super hard to find and they don't sell them online-"

Steve shook his head, unable to keep from smiling. “You're ridiculous.”

“At least I'm committed to the theme. You need to up your game.”

Tony headed downstairs and Steve shook his head. Thor came out of his room, wearing slightly cleaner looking armor with a fresh cape. “I am ready to try out this ‘hot cocoa’. Tell me, friend Steve, is it an alcoholic beverage? I worry I won't be able to enjoy it to its fullest capacity.”

“Nope, it's mostly just milk and chocolate. Trust me, you'll like it.”

Thor beamed and marched down the stairs, and immediately Bruce peaked out of his room. “Hey Steve. You on centurian duty?”

“Nah, I'm just waiting for Bucky to come out.”

“Aren’t we all. I'll see you downstairs then.”

Steve nodded, and then made a face after Bruce passed, wondering what exactly he'd meant, but eventually just shrugging. It probably wasn't important.

When Bucky finally emerged, he was wearing a large black sweatshirt and a single glove with lighter colored sweatpants. He was scowling, but he spent a lot of time scowling, so Steve didn't ask. They walked downstairs in quiet.

The fireside chat was good, the hot chocolate was better, but Mrs.Ronnes was less than impressed in their pajamas. Tony personally volunteered to buy them all better ones, and Mrs.Ronnes announced that there were some catalogs in the kitchen they could go through later.

Bucky sat next to Steve, just close enough that their sides touched casually. Steve pretended not to notice, but it was hard not thinking about him, and how things used to be. Everything felt so familiar, yet so different at the same time. He and Bucky sitting next to each other against the couch, listening to the jokes being made and laughing at the stories being told, except now it was with different friends, and Bucky stayed mostly quiet. There were other subtle differences, like how their stomachs were full and there was no fear of rationing the candles, and overall Steve decided maybe change wasn't all that bad.

\--------------

**Tuesday**

Bucky ended up taking the sweater and glove off at some point in the night, probably too warm in the sleeping bag. Steve fell asleep staring at the gentle reflection coming from his prosthetic arm.

They awoke to Mrs.Ronnes pushing the curtains open, announcing “It’s time to get up sleepy-heads, the day awaits!”

Steve blinked his eyes open, staying still in his sleeping bag. He was facing Bucky, who's metallic arm was covering his eyes. He let out a little groan, the same noise he'd make when woken up too early back when they lived together in Brooklyn.

Everything clicked in to place a little too slowly, and before either of them could do anything Mrs.Ronnes was staring down at Bucky’s exposed metal arm with a look of concern. Bucky met her gaze, too tired and too late to do anything about it.

“You know, Mr.Ronnes has a glass eye,” she says finally, tearing her attention away from his prosthetic. “Time to get up boys, life waits for no one!”

\------------

They all bustled around the kitchen, desperately trying to get it ready by opening time. They had their training from the day prior, as well as a big binder of information, but besides that they were on their own.

They’d each been assigned jobs. Tony was the head chef, Steve was the waiter, Bucky was the busser, Bruce was the host, and Thor was the dishwasher. There were some jobs that were split between multiple people, like how Bruce was supposed to refill waters if Bucky was busy and how Steve needed to help Tony with some of the cooking.

Before long, the restaurant was open and they were all in place, and Steve rushed over to tend to the first person that walked through the door, an older man who pulled his cowboy hat off when he came inside, a casual reminder that they were indeed in Wyoming.

There weren't too many tables, and there wasn't too much traffic, so they didn't fall too hard behind. They fell into a fast-paced rhythm, everyone slowly figuring out their jobs.

It didn't take long for Tony to find ways to make it harder, however. He insisted on making up new names for every dish that was served, so he'd put a prepared plate on the counter and announce “One taco bell reject tomato paradise” or “One captain stars and tights with extra mutilated strawberries, coming up!” and slam his hand on the bell enthusiastically. Tony had started a tap of coffee back at the BnB and hadn't slowed down since.

At one point, Steve was loading up a tray of food when Bucky came into the kitchen, making a beeline towards Steve, looking weary.

“You did the sweep for bugs already, right?” Steve asked without looking up.

Bucky gave a small nod. “Nothing.”

“Good. And nothing’s shown up in the house yet?”

“Affirmative.” Bucky hesitated for a moment, almost pulling himself back into reality. “Do you need any help?”

“Nah, I think I've got this.” Steve picks up two full trays and balances them on his arms like the weight was nothing.

“At ease soldier,” Tony ordered from behind the counter, saluting Bucky. Bucky’s eyes flashed with danger but he just squeezed his hands into fists and marched back into the dining room, following after Steve.

  
\----------

  
“We need more ice!” Tony announced. “How the hell did we run out of ice? Someone- come on, who’s on ice duty? Capsicle, you're familiar with ice, will you grab us more?”

Bucky, who was standing at the dishwasher station, tensed, stopping unloading his tray of dirty dishes.

Steve sighed. “Give me a minute, okay? I have to bring these dishes out.”

“What, you scared of a little ice? Aww, come on. You probably won't be frozen again- unless you fall in, which granted, would be hilarious, but highly unlikely.”

Bucky squeezed the edges of the tray in his hands, accidentally leaving imprints in the plastic.

“Aww, come on Capsicle.”

“Tony.” Steve's voice was strained and he cleared his throat, returning it back to normal. “I told you. Let me just finish loading up these plates-"

“Come on, Frosty. You know, there have been some really good movies about Cavemen being frozen in the arctic and thawed out in the twenty-first century, you should check them out. I bet you could really relate to them.”

Thor looked up, glancing around at their faces.

“Maybe it's not the best idea for you to get the ice, now that I think about it,” Tony mused. “Because you might just climb into the ice machine and nap for seventy years.”

“Stop it,” Bucky growled.

Tony raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, for one blissful moment, it almost seemed like he might actually shut up. “I'm just looking out for him. We can't have Captain Rogers sleeping for the next three-quarters of a century and miss the next few wars.”

“I would watch your tongue,” Thor warned.

“All I'm saying is it might have been nice for him to be around for Vietnam. Sorry, Snowy Soldier, I know that’s a rough subject for you, especially since you were fighting on the _other side_ for that war.”

Bucky turned around, finally making eye contact with Tony, unblinking. He flexed his metal fingers, his wrist flicking. “Watch it.”

“Hey, no need for you to go full Soviet Soldier on me. If Capsicle won’t get the ice, how about you go get it? Oh… actually, that may not be the best plan either.”

“You think that’s funny,” Bucky all but growled, his voice low and gruff as he walked forwards, pressing Tony back with his presence alone.

“No, I think it’s hilarious.” Tony's voice had reverted to his autopilot sarcasm while his eyes flickered around, no doubt looking for any and every possible distraction or exit route. “Laughable, really."

“You think it’s a joke,” Bucky continued, still moving forwards dangerously. His face was so expressionless that there was no way of telling who Tony was really dealing with: Bucky or the Winter Soldier. Or, even scarier: both.

Tony kept walking backwards. “Admittedly not my best work, but it’s it’s up there. Oh, come on. Thor, you thought it was funny, didn’t you?” Tony’s back hit one of the industrial refrigerators, leaving him with nowhere else to go. “Wow, tough crowd.”

Bucky lifted his left hand slowly and pressed it into Tony’s chest forcefully, pushing right against where the arc reactor once was. Tony shut up, his mouth falling open and his eyes widening in fear for the first time.

“I don’t think theres anything funny about being frozen,” Bucky hummed, his voice still dangerously low.

Tony managed to close his mouth. He was so still that you could watch his _eyes_ move, scanning Bucky’s face and doing his best not to look down at the metal arm pinning him- by his _chest. Right where the arc reactor had been._ That fact alone held him in place just as much as Bucky did.

“I think you need to let it go."

Bucky pressed harder and Tony let out a hiss. “You don't give Steve shit about the ice,” Bucky murmured. “You _won’t_.”

“Buck.”

Hearing Steve’s voice made Bucky lower his head.

“Buck. I've got this. You don’t have to fight my fights anymore.”

Bucky nodded slightly, though he didn't loosen his grip.

“Hey.”

Bucky knew what that word meant, knew what the tone meant, knew what Steve wanted him to do. Still, he averted his eyes for a moment longer before the next “Hey,” and he looked up, meeting Steve's eyes. And that was it. He let his arm fall to his side and Tony tried desperately to regain his composure, straightening his posture and his glasses alike. “Thank you, Capsi- Cap.”

Steve didn't pay him any attention. His entire focus was on Bucky, letting words pass between their eyes without saying any of them outloud. His expression was soft, not with pity, but something worse- understanding.

\--------------

“I like the flannel ones,” Tony pointed out, letting Mrs.Ronnes lean over the catalogue to see the picture closer. “Maybe for Doctor Banner?”

“You're so formal with your friends Anthony,” Mrs.Ronnes chided in a maternal tone. “I'm sure Bruce doesn't mind you call him by his first name.”

“What do you think, Brucie? Are we on a first name basis?”

“I've never seen that man before in my life,” Bruce insisted in a monotone. “Stranger danger, stranger danger.”

“Oh dear, look at these ones!” Mrs.Ronnes squealed. “Oh they look so soft, and they come in blue!”

Tony skimmed the picture of the pajama set she was pointing to, furrowing his brow. “Is that silk? Yes, we’ll have to get that. But who for?”

Mrs.Ronnes turned to look over at the boys all clustered around her living room, scanning each one with professional interest. “I think they would be perfect for Thor. Thor sweetie, is your cape made out of Taffeta? It flows beautifully.”

Thor grinned. Steve was pretty sure that he loved being the center of attention, even if he didn't actively fight for it like _some_ members of their party. “Actually that is but a common misconception. My cape is actually made of pure asgardian crêpe, and dyed with the blood of my enemies.”

“Huh. That must be a difficult process, how exactly do you drain the blood?” Toby rubbed his chin, seeming to seriously consider it. Steve hoped that Tony didn't take blood-draining on as one of his problems he wanted to solve, otherwise the press conferences would no doubt be miserable.

“Yes, I think he'll like the silk pajamas. In baby blue, it suits his eyes.” Mrs.Ronnes either didn't pay attention to the blood-of-Thor’s-enemies part of the conversation, or was happy to ignore it. “Do they have his size?”

“I don't know, what size would he be?”

Mrs.Ronnes looked back over at Thor, letting her eyes travel all the way down his body and linger a bit longer than needed before turning back to the catalog. “Probably an extra large.” She met Tony's eyes, lowering her voice and said “All of your friends are quite muscular Anthony. And Steve is very handsome.”

Steve looked up, staring into the distance and smiling slightly. Bucky kicked him subtly, but Steve ignored him.

Mrs.Ronnes looked over and met Steve's eyes. He gave her his freedom fighter smile and winked.

Mrs.Ronnes grinned and turned away quickly, trying to hide her blush in the catalog pages.

“I don’t know Grammy. He's a bit old for you.”

“Oh, shut up you,” Mrs.Ronnes said, swatting Tony playfully. “I'm a married woman.”

Still, she looked over and sent Steve a quick wink before going back to the pages of the catalog. Steve looked away, staring straight ahead like he was trying to decide if he was comfortable with where the conversation had gone. Bucky nudged him, reminding him to go back to his sewing.

Tony looked over at them, trying to make sense of what they were doing. Thor was relaxing in Mr.Barnes easy chair and Bruce was reading a book, mouthing the words as he read them, but on the longer couch Steve and Bucky sat right next to each other, both working on some kind of sewing project. “What are you two doing anyways?”

“We’re mending a few of my shirts that have tears in them.”

“Why’d they tear?”

Steve glanced over at Mrs.Ronnes, smiling smugly. “I flexed.”

Tony rolled his eyes as Mrs.Ronnes giggled, blushing furiously.

“Really?” Bucky asked with mock sincerity. “Is that why your pants tore too?”

“Bucky!”

Tony laughing obnoxiously, leaning back in his chair. “Which part of the pants though? I need to know for scientific reasons.”

Bucky grinned mischievously at Steve. “Should I tell him?”

“Not if you want to keep your other arm you won't.”

Bucky rubbed his arm sorely, making a little whining noise at the back of his throat. “Those sound an awful lot like fighting words.”

“They are. I'll take you right here right now if you don't keep your trap shut.”

Steve and Bucky had worked hard on their communication ever since they started living together again. Bucky had been the one to suggest they be more playful and joking with each other, instead of having Steve tiptoe around him like he tried to do. Still, if anyone else were to tease Bucky like that, Steve might just obtain some small explosives and set the Fourth of July off early.

Bucky stared at him, their overly-domestic sewing projects laying forgotten on their laps. “Please. You'd lose.”

“Oh, is that a challenge I hear? I'll have you in a headlock before you can cry uncle.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes. “I've never lost a fight.”

“Well then I think it’s it's about time pal.”

“Not in the living room, dears,” Mrs.Ronnes said, still flipping through the catalogue pleasantly. “If you want to roughhouse you have to take it outside.”

By that point Bruce had lowered his book, watching them over the rims of his glasses. Thor lay sprawled out over the easy chair, keeping quiet and waiting for something interesting to happen.

Everyone was quiet for a few long moments before Tony decided to break the silence. “I've got 100 on the tin man winning.”

“I got that reference,” Steve muttered, tilting his head to the side.

“Two for Barnes,” Bruce agreed. “What? He’s never lost a fight.”

“Thor?”

“I have faith in Steve. I hope that he won't let me down.”

“That's two for the scowling toaster oven and one for Captain Freedom,” Tony narrated.

“Put me down for the dreamboat,” Mrs.Ronnes muttered without looking up from the catalogue.

Tony stared at her for a moment. “‘Ma, when was that last time I told you I love you? Clearly, it’s been too long. Okay, the betting remains two to two. Shall we?”

\---------------

The match was no weapons, no playing dirty, just wrestling. The winner was whoever pinned their opponent first, or whoever lasted the longest without tapping out.

The fight took a while to settle, but finally after lots of back and forth Bucky ended up on top, pinning Steve’s shoulders with his knees and his hands with his metal arm. Bucky expertly held his flesh elbow to Steve's throat, cutting off his breath while doing his best not to hurt him too much. Finally, after a minute of wiggling, Steve conceded and Bucky immediately released him. Tony cheered obnoxiously from the porch, but they ignored him. “I've never lost,” Bucky reminded him, giving him a hand up.

“Yeah, yeah. I let you win.”

“Like Hell you did.”

“Yeah, well I didn't have my shield. That's like fighting Thor without his hammer. We’ll have to do a rematch sometime with weapons, and then you'll see.”

“Does that mean I can use my M4?”

“Oh God, please no. I've been shot at enough this year.”

“Yeah, alright. We should probably get you out of this grass now before you have an asthma attack.”

Steve coughed dramatically, grinning through fake wheezes. “Oh-” _wheeze_ “No! I'm-” _gasp_  “asthma!”

Bucky let Steve practically collapse against him, clinging onto his jacket. One of Steve's hands grasped onto his leg, pawing at him dramatically before fumbling a pocket open and snatching one of Bucky’s knives, shoving him back and taking off with it. He made it about five feet before Bucky launched himself at him and they went rolling.

Before long Bucky had him pinned again, but Steve didn't struggle against him and Bucky sat up, only holding him down with his own body weight. “Be careful,” he warned as Steve fiddled with the knife. “That's sharp.”

“Is this a new one?” Steve wondered out loud. “There’s no stains.”

“Not for long if you keep messing with it,” Bucky warned, though he didn't make a grab for it. “Come on. There’s a reason they don't give you anything sharp. Hell, even your shield doesn't have any corners. They learned their lesson with the first design?”

Steve snorted, still messing with the knife. “Yeah, I kept hurting myself on the corners. Come on Buck, I'm not incompetent.”

“Just ‘cause you say it doesn't mean it's true.” Bucky leaned over him, very gently pulling the knife out of Steve's hands with one of his own, putting it back in its hidden pocket carefully.

“You're such a worry wart, you know that, right?”

“You still have all ten fingers, so it’s working. Come on, let's get our money.”

When they got back to the porch, Thor congratulated Bucky merrily while pointing a finger at Steve and blaming him for the money he'd lost. Mrs.Ronnes, as always, was blissfully oblivious to their slight grapple with the knife, instead congratulating Bucky and reassuring Steve that he'd get him next time. They began to file inside when Tony grabbed Steve's arm, pulling him back outside. “Excuse me, but what was that? And don’t play dumb, Mister ‘I could keep fighting all day’ Rogers.”

Steve just smiled, shaking his head. “Aw, come on Tony. Don’t make me have to spell it out for you." Tony crossed his arms, waiting, so Steve sighed, his smile faltering. “Did you see his grin? I'd lose just about any fight to see that.”

Before Tony could interrogate him further Steve was patting him on the shoulder and heading inside.

\----------  
  
After dinner, Bucky helped wash plates and then snuck upstairs. Steve finished drying before following him, trying to walk on light feet so that the floorboards didn’t creak beneath him.

The house was old, and Mrs.Ronnes claimed that they had lived there for almost as long as they’d been married- just over fifty years. The house was kept pristine and clean, yet still managed to feel like a home instead of a museum.

Steve stopped for a moment to look at one of the pictures sat on the china cupboard. It was a family photo that must have been at least twenty years old. Mrs.Ronnes had the same smile full of excitement, and Mr.Ronnes had the same slightly distant look, though his arm was wrapped around his wife’s waist affectionately. They were surrounded by relatives, some of which seemed to be in their twenties or thirties- their grandchildren, Steve supposed. The youngest one was a boy with black hair pushed back in a quiff, looking about eighteen. If Steve had to guess, he’d say that was Anthony, the grandson that never calls.

He kept walking, thoughts immediately jumping back to Bucky. But when he peaked into their room he was laying on the floor, already asleep.

——————-

**Wednesday**

Thor washed the plates at a constant speed, just fast enough to have enough, but still slower than convenient. He whistled as he worked, clearly the most relaxed person in the kitchen.

“Thor, buddy, give us something new to work with,” Tony requested as he hurriedly made a complicated looking sandwich. “Any song requests? Perhaps ‘Iron Man’ by Black Sabbath?”

“I am not familiar with that one. Maybe if you sang it-"

“Please no,” Bruce deadpanned, stacking a few trays. “He hums that song in his sleep. I’ve had it stuck in my head all morning.” He accidentally knocked the trays off onto the floor and stared at them, slowly bending down to pick them up.

Steve got on one knee next to Bruce, helping him at a much quicker pace. “How ‘you doing? You seem a little…”

Bruce looked up and made eye contact with Steve over his glasses. “If I show any emotion in my voice I _will_ hulk out. Hence, monotone.”

“Bucky and I will handle the hosting, how about you take a five minute walk,” Steve suggested. Bruce stared back at him, so still he could have been made of stone, and Steve could practically see the gears shifting in his head- no, not gears. Bruce would have a tangle of loose wires, all zapping around at 100 miles an hour as his body moves at 5 miles an hour.

“Five minutes,” Bruce finally says, standing up and tearing off his apron, throwing it on a counter without looking as he made a beeline for the door.

Steve picked up the trays and put them back, watching Bruce leave. “I'm pretty sure that's the first time he's ever agreed to take a break.”

“Probably,” Tony agreed, still rapidly making sandwiches. “He’s stubborn. Good character trait.” Tony leaned back, huffing. “Honestly, this is exhausting. Is this what normal people feel like every day? God, I'm so glad I'm a genius.”

“Pansy,” Bucky grunted. “We’ve been working for less than six and a half hours. Imagine growing up before the 40 hour work week was implemented.”

“How’d you know what time it is?” Steve asked, wiping his forehead.

“Mission reports,” Bucky reported simply. “Last I checked it was 12:06, which was almost eleven minutes ago.”

Tony whistled in appreciation. “And I thought I was good with running numbers. So Buck’, what was it like working more than eight hours a day? Let me guess- you also had to walk uphill both ways?”

“All I'm saying is be thankful,” Bucky snapped. “Not all of us were born with a silver spoon up our ass.”

“No, but maybe if you pulled that stick out of your ass and relaxed every once in a while-"

“Hey,” Steve snapped, shutting Tony up immediately. “Bucky, go keep an eye on the host station and all the water glasses. Someone needs to be out there." Bucky nodded wordlessly, shoving open the door to the dining room and leaving as fast as he can. Steve looked to Tony, giving his patented ‘disappointed’ look.

“Oh don't look at me like that Rogers. He started it."

“Finish those sandwiches,” Steve relented. He started loading up a platter with jugs of juice and soda, unbothered by the weight.

Thor stopped washing dishes for a moment, leaning back against his station. “Tony, the silver spoon and stick talk was metaphorical, yes? Bucky doesn't actually…” he let the words trail off.

Tony shrugged. “I guess we’ll never truly know."  
\-----------------

“Cassiopeia,” Bruce mused, squinted up at the stars through his glasses. “The constellation was named from a Greek myth where a queen- Cassiopeia- bragged about her daughter being more beautiful than even the nymphs. In return, she had to sacrifice her daughter to a sea monster and Cassiopeia herself was chained to a throne. I don’t know why Ptolemy thought that ‘W’ shape looks like a throne, but…” Bruce shrugged. His hands were in his pockets in a way that was supposed to be casual, Steve supposed, but ended up making his shoulders slump forwards. Bruce seemed to actively try and make himself smaller.

Steve nodded in regards to the stars, though he’d heard a different story about that constellation. “When I was in the 107th Infantry, one of the guys told me that those stars were apart of a bigger constellation that looked like his girl.”

Bruce hummed. “I don’t see it.”

“I never did either.”

“I like his version better, though,” Bruce admitted. “The whole Cassiopeia myth always bothered me. I never thought she deserved it.”

Steve stared up at the constellation, not quite sure what to say. “She made a mistake.”

“She did,” Bruce agreed. “And it was held against her for the rest of her life. People are going to be prideful, Steve. You can't hold it against them forever.”

\-----------------

**Thursday**

“Thor sweetie, would you like some coffee?”

Thor smiled at Mrs.Ronnes tiredly. “Thank you, but I’m afraid caffeine doesn’t seem to affect me.”

“That’s just fine, Bruce?”

“Yeah Brucie, you want a hot cup of Joe?” Tony teased, his eyebags more apparent than normal. He’d snuck out in the middle of the night to his trailer, and only reappeared when Steve was already awake and dressed.

Bruce held up his coffee mug, thanking Mrs.Ronnes as she filled it. “Tony, hand me your cup,” she requested, already knowing what Tony would want.

“I’ll trade you,” Tony said as he passed her his mug, gently taking the kettle from her hands. “Yeah, I think this will be enough to start with. I’ll have to brew more when we get to the restaurant.”

Mrs.Ronnes pinched his cheek, giving him back the coffee mug but letting him keep the kettle. “I was thinking I could make pancakes for breakfast tomorrow, how would you boys like that?”

“Pancakes?” Thor asked. “I’m not familiar.”

“They’re the round little fuckers we make at the diner,” Tony explained, not even having the energy to make fun of him. “With the blueberries.”

“Ah. The sticky ones.” Thor considered the matter in such a serious way that Steve wondered if he had the same expression when considering Asgardian politics. “Yes, I believe those would be a well received feast, thank you.”

There was a little motion out of the corner of Steve’s eyes and he turned, seeing Bucky leaning against the doorway. He hadn’t heard him come down the stairs, and for a moment Steve wondered if he’d climbed out of the window instead of taking the stairs. “Morning Buck’. How’d you sleep?”

Bucky responded with a grunt, making a beeline for Tony’s coffee kettle, pouring himself a cup and sipping it, his hands curling around it. Steve frowned. “Does that even work on you?”

Bucky shrugged, wiping his mouth. “Does it matter?”

There were no seats left at the tiny kitchen table, so Steve stood, offering his seat to Bucky, who just stared at it.

“You hungry?”

Bucky swallowed. The question seemed to take too long for him to process, like it was something he needed to consider and answer truthfully. He looked at Steve and seemed to evaluate him for the correct answer. “Sure.”

Mrs.Ronnes happily swooped in and made Bucky a heaping plate, handing it to him with clean silverware. He stared at it, still standing, before slowly making himself eat.

“You look so dashing,” she commented happily. “That shirt looks good on you.”

The shirt in question was black- truly a shock, and so different from the rest of Bucky’s shirts which tended towards dark gray- and had short sleeves, exposing almost his entire metal arm, which had been polished and looked cleaner than the rest of him.

“But your hair is so dirty,” Mrs.Ronnes continued. “Not to worry, I think I have just the trick.”

Ten minutes later Steve and Bruce were climbing into the back of the truck, waiting for the others to appear. “Could you put this back there?” Tony requested, passing Steve a large black box.

“What it is?”

“Oh, just a little something I’ve been working on.”

The door swung open, and they all turned to see Bucky marching over, looking practically deadly. Tony moved out his way immediately, letting him march up and swing himself into the back of the car, not making eye contact with anyone. His greasy hair had been pulled back in a casual man bun, which didn’t look bad.

The door swung open again and Thor jogged over, smiling giddily. Tony snorted when he saw him, immediately trying to cover it with a cough.

Thor climbed into the truck bed and grunted, still smiling pleasantly. “I pray you didn’t mind the wait, but I thought I would join brother Barnes in this pursuit of, erm, _hair goals._ We are, I think you would say, twinsies?”

Steve smiled. Bucky stared past Thor, refusing to look at him, his body still entirely stiff. “Not one word, Rogers, not one.”

Mr.Ronnes climbed into the cab of the car, glancing in the rearview mirror. “You boys ready to go?”

“Aww, I feel left out,” Tony smirked from the shotgun seat. “What do you think, could I pull off a manbun?”

Steve nudged Bucky when he remained stiff and silent. “What’re you thinking?”

“Exit routes,” he answered simply as the truck began to move forwards.

—————-

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed Cap, but your boy’s a little tense,” Tony said, as if Steve should be impressed at how observant he was. “Wake up on the wrong side of the sleeping bag?”

“He seemed so happy yesterday,” Thor observed. “Do you think it was the man bun?”

“Guys, let’s just leave him be,” Bruce suggested, his voice becoming more and more monotone as the restaurant came closer to opening.

Steve sighed, shaking his head, which he seemed to do a lot around Tony. “He has good and bad days. Just like the rest of us.”

That shut them up. Their jobs were just series’ of one intensity after the next, the highs of adrenaline and success followed by the lows of danger, overexertion, and failure. All of them had had their fair share of trauma, though none of them could fully process the seventy plus years of trauma that Bucky was dealing with. It was a miracle he was at the point he was after only a few months, though it was possible the serum had something to do with that.

Still, later in the morning when things were at a lull, Steve made a point to pull him aside, trying to be as gentle and non-threatening as possible. “Hey, I just wanted to check in with you.”

Bucky’s eyes flickered around, and for a moment Steve wondered if he should be the one standing against the shelves so that he wasn’t trapping Bucky in any way. However, the way they were standing already allowed for Bucky to avoid exposing his back, and gave him a view of most of the kitchen, which was good, Steve thought. Hopefully.

(He hated that he had to think about any of it.)

“I’m fine,” Bucky reported, sounding almost like Bruce from the lack of emotion in his voice. “Table five needs more water.”

“Okay.” Steve didn’t move. “Okay. I just wanted to check in, you know? You can let me know if you need a break, or a walk or anything.”

Bucky didn’t smile, but he did seem to relax a little. “Steve,” he said carefully, “I’m not going to Hulk out.”

Steve reached out, carefully taking Bucky’s hand. “I wasn’t suggested that you would. I’m just worried-”

“Yeah, go get ‘em tiger!” Tony cheered, rolling up a towel and slapping it against Steve’s ass as he walked behind him, whooping.

Steve closed his mouth, neither surprised nor okay with the new development. “Tony-”

“Oh, don’t _Tony_ me. Thanks, but I don’t need to be mothered, _Steve_ , and neither does Barnes here. Lay off him, will you? The old guy knows what he’s doing.”

Bucky gave him a look like he wasn’t going to agree with Tony outloud, but he definitely didn’t disagree.

“And Steve, table five needs more water. Get to it!” Tony said, snapping the towel against his ass again. Steve closed his eyes, biting back a comment before shuffling away to refill the glasses.

“Hey, grumpy,” Tony said as soon as Steve had left. “How do you feel about making sandwiches?”

“I have my own job to do, I'm not going to do yours for you.” Though he didn't show it on his face, Bucky tilted his head up in a way that indicated some sort of pride.

“That's the thing. Neither of us need to make sandwiches anymore. Come on, let me show you.”

\--------------

Around lunchtime, one of the actual members of the staff came in to eat and check in on everything. “You're doing great,” she commented, eyes scanning around the room almost scientifically. “And I'm impressed at how fast the food is being served. Very nice.”

Steve didn't tell her that the food was being served so quickly because Tony had created a machine to make sandwiches for him. He just smiled, thanked her, and asked if he could get her anything else.

\------------

“My grandbabies are coming over tomorrow!” Mrs.Ronnes announced excitedly as she hung up the phone.

“That's great, ‘Ma!” Tony said with feigned enthusiasm. “Are these my nieces, or…”

Mrs.Ronnes hesitated, thinking hard. “They're Jessie’s daughters,” she said after a moment, still straining to remember. “They're… that would make them your…” she huffed in frustration and Tony gave her a quick peck on the cheek as he walked past.

“Don’t worry about it. I'm excited to meet- to see them again. Which ones are they again?”

“Shelly and Tammi. I'm sorry Anthony, my memory isn't what it used to be. I have notes somewhere-"

“Don’t worry about it. Hey ‘Ma, I was thinking I would go shopping for those clothes we picked out.”

“Oh, that would be great! Could you get a few things for me, while you're out? The catalogues don't always have what I need and I try not to ask Mr.Ronnes too often-"

“Don't worry about it, write me a list, yeah? Hey Rogers, do you and the soda can wanna come with?”

Steve ignored the name. “Nah, Mr.Ronnes offered to let us borrow his motorcycles. He has two vintage ones I want to try out.”

“Are you boys going to leave now? You just got back from work, I'd assumed you'd want to nap.” The genuine concern in Mrs.Ronnes was so sweet and caring that both Steve and Tony stiffened. Not because it was nice; because it was painfully familiar and one of those feelings they weren't allowed to enjoy for long.

Steve was the first one to recover, standing up again and putting on his Captain America smile. “Thank you Mrs.Ronnes, but I don’t need much sleep.”

“Me neither,” Tony piped up, meeting Steve's eyes. “In fact, I was wondering if you wanted to help me with some projects tonight? I only sleep every few days. It's part of my creative process.”

“That doesn't sound healthy,” Steve commented.

“That's what they all say, yet here I am, a literal certifiable genius.”

“So that’s the secret.”

“Yeah, well not all of us have access to super-steroids.”

“Here’s the list, Sweetie,” Mrs.Ronnes said, interrupting the bro-off. “Do you need money?”

“Nah ‘Ma, work’s been good.”

Mrs.Ronnes smiled, her cheeks going pink with pride. “He always used to ask for money when he was a teenager, never wanted to work for anything.”

Tony looked pained, even though he knew she wasn’t actually talking about him. “I’m sorry grandma. I shouldn’t have used you like that.”

This just made Mrs.Ronnes happier. “Oh Anthony, sweetie, I could never be angry with you. You’ve made me so proud.” She immediately hugged him and Tony hugged back, maybe a bit too genuinely. He didn’t meet Steve’s eyes.

—————-

“I come bearing gifts!” Tony announced, marching into the dining room with a half dozen bags in hand.

“Boys, dinner time! Anthony’s home!”

Tony only faltered for a moment before the grin returned. “Thor, buddy, they didn’t have an baby blue ones, but they did have this nice purple set that I think you’ll like. And slippers! I was going to get you serious ones, but since you’re still relating new to Earth, I got you bunny slippers.” He passed one bag over to Thor, before quickly yanking it back. “‘Ma, feel this fabric. It’s real silk.”

“Wow, that’s very soft. Good choice, sweetie.”

Tony let Thor have the bag back and immediately went to the next one. “I got all of us pajamas. Can we have another fireside chat tonight? I bought more mini marshmallows.”

No one could compete with his excitement, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine Mrs.Ronnes as Tony’s real grandmother. They had the same excitement, like as soon as they had control of the airwaves they had to get out as much information as possible before someone tried to interrupt them. Tony passed them all their bags, demanded they wear the new pajamas that night, complimenting how well dinner smelled, and giving Mrs.Ronnes the full tour of the things he’d bought her. “...chocolate chips for the pancakes, they only had semi-sweet, I hope that’s fine, and whipped cream, six new pairs of socks- it’s more economic to get them in bigger sets- and this shirt. I don’t know if it’s your size, but it’s baby blue and so I thought of you-”

“Does he ever shut up?” Bucky whispered, only slightly startling Steve with his presence.

Steve shrugged. He wasn’t sure if he minded.

——————

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Bruce shrugged. “They're comfy.”

Bruce was wearing a pair of purple sweatpants and a dark button down pajama shirt with pictures of little hulks flying around it. With his neatly trimmed hair and professional looking glasses, Bruce almost managed not to look ridiculous- almost.

Bruce walked past Steve, then stopped, glancing back. “He got you pajamas too, you know.”

“Thanks, but I'm fine."

Bucky shrugged again, his shoulders more slumping in a noncommittal sort of way. “It’ll make Mrs.Ronnes happy. What's the harm.”

He went down the stairs and Steve turned back around as the door to his shared room opened. “I feel… stylish,” Thor announced, checking himself out. True to his word, Tony had gotten Thor an extra large blue silken pajama set, complete with a nightcap and grey bunny slippers. “It’s nice. _Suave_ , I believe you would say.”

“I've never said that in my life."

“Oh, it's definitely suave,” Tony agreed as he pushed the door to his room open, fiddling with his own pajamas coyly. “Cap, I'm disappointed. Were your PJ’s too small? I knew I shouldn't have gotten the extra small, but you know how grandma is.”

Thor snorted when he saw Tony’s choice of “PJs", but just shook his head, exiting stage left. Steve tried not to stare, but it was hard not to; instead of the more traditional pajamas like Bruce or Thor had gotten, Tony had opted for a more modern look. He wore a basic T-shirt with the iron man arc reactor on it and a pair of boxers with a simple pattern on it. Thor stared at the boxers, his eyes slowly drifting up to Tony’s. “Are those miniature shields?”

Tony met his eyes, shifting slightly. “Maybe.”

“The stars and stripes and everything?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

Tony sauntered past him, squeezing his shoulder. “You don’t have to say anything. Just be glad I'm using protection."

“What.”

“Hey, get changed into your PJs, will you? ‘Ma was so excited about picking them out. You wouldn't want to disappoint her.”

He left and Steve allowed himself a moment to stare at the carpet. _His shield, a symbol of truth, justice, and the American way… immortalized forever on a pair of cheap boxers._

Steve forced himself back into reality and marched into his shared room. Bucky turned around immediately, already in his pajamas. “What are you staring at?”

“Nothing.”

\-----------

“You boys are all so handsome! But Bucky dear, I don't get your shirt. What does ‘hashtag team Cap’ mean?”

Bucky’s voice was as quiet and gruff as always, though it seemed lighter than normal. “Honestly, I don't really know.”

\---------------

**Friday**

Tony was, to Steve’s knowledge, completely human. He possessed no super powers, no mutant abilities, and he’d never been injected with any sort of serum. However, Steve began to question that the next morning when he caught Tony sneaking back in from his workshop-trailer after another sleepless night.

Tony acted completely normal at the restaurant that day- normal for Tony, at least. They got more customers than they had all week and still Tony managed to continuously banter throughout the storm of people, though Steve supposed he was helped by the new robots he’d built that did 80% of his work for him.

Steve spent the day running back and forth, desperately trying to keep up with all of the orders. He put Bucky in charge of collecting the drink orders and Bruce helped whenever he could, but by closing time Steve was exhausted. They cleaned up, closed up, and climbed into Mr.Ronnes waiting pickup truck. As soon as they got back to the farmhouse Steve made a beeline upstairs to his sleeping back and passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He came downstairs a few hours later, not missing how the sleeping bag next to his was tousled when Bucky had smoothed it flat that morning.

Steve crept down the stairs quietly, stopping when he heard the new voices. “Your hair smells _just_ like strawberries!” A young girl squealed, and Steve's heart immediately lifted.

“No way!” Another child announced with genuine excitement.

“Yes way, come over here!”

“Hey, if you let go of the braid it will unravel,” a soft, low voice warned, and Steve found himself smiling.

“Don’t worry, here, you can hold on to it!” There was some shuffling, and then “Omg! Omg!”

“Just like strawberries, right?”

“Just like strawberries! Excuse me mister, but is it okay if I smell your hair too?”

“Go for it kiddo."

“Oh my God Jamie! His hair smells like lavender!”

“Tom, can you hold this braid for a minute?”

“My name is actually Thor,” Thor said, his voice also gentler than normal.

“Mister, did you know your hair smells like lavender?”

“No, I don’t think I noticed.” Bucky hadn't sounded so relaxed since… well… Steve wasn't quite sure.

“Mister?”

“Mm-hm?”

“I know Grandma said not to ask about your prost-ethic-"

“Maddie, I don't know if-”

“It’s okay,” Bucky reassured. “What do you want to know?”

“Why do you have the star? Are stars your favorite shape?”

There was a pause as Bucky seemed to seriously consider it. “No, but I thought it would look funny to have a heart on my shoulder.”

“It would be very metaphorical,” Thor added softly. “Like having your heart on your sleeve.”

“Is it red because that's your favorite color?” One of the little girls asked.

Another pause, then “yes.”

Steve decided to stop lurking and slowly made his way down the stairs, still trying to be quiet as to not disturb them. Thor noticed him right away and offered him a smile, but Bucky’s back was to him.

“Hi, I'm… Steve. You're Mrs.Ronnes granddaughters, right?”

The two little girls both looked up, their eyes immediately going wide with excitement when they saw him. Steve expected Bucky to turn around and look at him, or shift or something, but he didn't, and Steve realized he probably had already realized he was there.

“I'm Jamie and this is Maddie!” The older of the two, the one who was currently braiding Thor’s hair, introduced. “And we only get to see Grandma sometimes and whenever we come over she buys us new art supplies and bath bombs!”

“And she got us the red boomerang!” Maddie added, equally excited.

“Frisbee,” Thor corrected. “A boomerang comes back to you when you throw it.”

“I guess that makes your shield a boomerang, huh Steve?”

Steve grinned and rolled his eyes.

“You have a shield?”

“Omg, that's so cool!”  
  
“We have a shield made out of sty-row-foam and duck tape that we use when we have sword fights!”

Thor smiled. “Sword fights?”

Maddie giggled. “Don’t tell anyone,” she whispered. “We use Mommy’s wrapping paper tubes, and we’re only suppose-ed to use the empty ones but sometimes we use the brand new ones too but it’s a secret.”

“Mister Tom- I mean Thor- can you hand me another rubber band?”

Thor handed Jamie an elastic and she tied it around her most recent braid. From what Steve could tell, she had given Thor a half dozen tiny braids that hid among the rest of his hair, adding to the viking-warrior look Thor sometimes went for. Maddie, who was braiding Bucky’s hair, had gone the route of doing a few smaller braids that came into one large, messy braid that ended in a ponytail. She finished it off, picking at it with a serious expression, then grinning and giggling. “I'll get you a mirror!”

Jamie squealed when she saw the finished product. “You look just like a princess!”

Bucky smiled fondly. “Good.” Maddie returned with a hot pink hand held mirror and gave it to Bucky, who used it to see the back of his hair. “It’s perfect,” he decided. “I'm going to hire you to come on missions with me and be my professional hair stylist.”

Maddie squealed again. “Missions? Are you an astronaut?”

Bucky’s mouth twitched into a smirk. “Maybe. It depends on how this whole Thanos thing turns out.”

“I'm going to be an astronaut when I get older,” Jamie announced proudly. “That or a pirate.”

“I'd go with the latter,” Tony suggested, leaning against the doorway. “All the big bucks are in pirateering. Those braids are beautiful, I bet you two had to practice a lot to get that good.”

“We practiced on Lucky, except sometimes he runs around and we have to chase him down and feed him cookies so he’ll lay down.”

Tony smiled a little quizzically. “Lucky?”

“Our Gold-ey retriever! He’s outside ‘getting some air’ right now,” Maddie narrated. “Ooh! Can we play fetch with him? Pleeeeeeeease!”

\----------------

Maddie hadn't quite figured out how to throw a frisbee yet. When given to her, she chucked the red disc at the ground and Lucky practically had a seizure sprinting over and catching it after the first bounce. Jamie was a bit better, and could throw it a few yards when she tried ‘really, really hard’. “Mister!” Maddie said, tugging on Bucky’s shirt. “Can you throw it for Lucky? Throw it really far, okay? Because Lucky is really, really fast, okay, and he loves running and our Daddy can throw it super super far, okay?”

“Okay kiddo,” Bucky replied, taking the frisbee from her hand. “This far?” He threw it lightly and Lucky caught it in between his teeth in seconds, sprinting to bring it back to Bucky.

“No, you have to throw it really far!”

Bucky grinned slyly. “Really far?”

“Really really far!”

“Really really far?”

“Really super duper _super_ far!”

“Okay, Lucky, you ready?” Bucky grinned, switching the frisbee to his left hand and rotating ninety degrees before throwing the frisbee, using his metal arm and twisting his torso to throw it so fast it made a sound. Lucky bolted, chasing after the frisbee that was practically ready to go into orbit.

Steve shook his head, still grinning. “Aw Buck’.” He turned to the little girls, ready to apologize on Bucky’s behalf, only to find both of their jaws hanging open.

“Omg! Omg! That was the coolest-est thing _ever_!”

\---------------  
  
Luckily, they had other frisbees than just that one, though Steve worried when Lucky didn’t immediately return. The girls reassured him that Lucky was smart and knew his way back, and got out their other two frisbees to play with.

Steve promised them he'd be right back and ran upstairs, grabbing his bag and unzipping it. He first put on his back harness and then his arm straps, then pulled out the shield, slipping it onto the arm straps.

Maddie and Jamie both somehow managed to get even more excited about the shield. They were still chattering about it when Lucky walked back five minutes later, the frisbee in his mouth. He dropped it at Bucky’s feet and immediately crawled under the porch, falling asleep instantly.

Bruce came outside then and he and Maddie split off to play catch with a frisbee, Tony and Jamie grabbing the other one. There was still one frisbee left, but Steve and Bucky opted instead to move out a little further and play catch with the official, trademarked, authentic vibranium, military grade Captain America shield, tossing it back and forth like a frisbee.  
  
\-----------------  
  
At the Fireside Chat that night, everyone was downstairs except for Tony, so Steve went upstairs to check on him. His pajamas for the night consisted of comfortable pants with miniature Iron Man’s on them- Tony thought that trading brands was hilarious- and a too-small shirt that read “that's funny, now go get grandpa a beer".

When he got upstairs, Steve knocked quietly on Tony’s door. “Tony?” After a few moments of no response he tried again, to the same result.

Finally, Steve opened the door and stepped in, only to find Tony curled up in his bed, already asleep.

“About damn time,” Steve muttered, allowing himself to watch for only a moment before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him.

He went back downstairs, ready to sit back on his spot on the floor with his back against the couch and his leg pressed against Bucky’s, only to find that his spot had already been taken. Bucky sat crisscross with Maddie in his lap, Jamie holding onto his right shoulder as she talked excitedly to Thor, and Lucky the dog sitting next to Bucky in Steve's spot.

“I swear it’s not what it looks like,” Bucky insisted, looking almost genuine. “I told Lucky that was your spot, but-"

Steve shook his head, huffing dramatically. “I feel betrayed.”

Thor whistled and Lucky jumped onto his lap, tail wagging as he licked Thor’s face affectionately. “Who's a good boy, you are, yes you are, oh yes you are! Future King of Asgard! I envy you're flowing golden locks, who's a good boy, yes you are!”

\-----------------

Steve was almost asleep when the door creaked open and a figure padded in. Steve glanced over at Bucky who's sleeping bag had been scooted closer to his. Bucky remained perfectly still, but his eyes were wide open, trying to assess the potential threat.

“God, Bruce snores loudly,” Tony said quietly, carefully walking around their sleeping bags. “At ease soldiers. Every night this week I've either spent in my workshop or I've fallen asleep before Brucie. But damn can he snore. Honestly, I think he should get that checked out.”

Steve blinked in the low light, trying to see clearer. “Tony, there’s already three of us.”

“Oh don't worry, you two can keep cuddling. I'll just bunk with Thor. Look at him, barely taking up any room, peaceful as a baby. That's nice.”

Steve wasn't sure if Bucky ever blushed anymore, but he knew for a fact his ears were red. “We were in the army,” he tried to explain. “Six men to a tent, sometimes in freezing conditions-"

“Hey, no shame. Even I like a good platonic spoon from time to time, please, carry on." Tony climbed into the bed with Thor, tucking himself under the covers. There was enough room in the bed for the two of them to sleep without it getting awkward, so Steve just shook his head, rolling over. Bucky took a moment to get comfortable, scooting a bit closer and resting his forehead against Steve’s shoulder blade.

A few hours later, Steve woke up. It was still dark out and the room was filled with the sound of heavy breathing, so he rolled over, planning to go back to sleep. Bucky was laying on his back with one arm under his pillow and one arm over his stomach, deathly still as he always seemed to be when he slept, though his chest still rose and fell steadily. Steve glanced up at the bed and narrowed his eyes. “Tony?”

Tony was awake and laying down facing Steve. Thor had rolled over and was now cuddling Tony like a teddy bear. “Not my idea!” Tony whispered.

Steve smiled pleasantly and closed his eyes, scooting closer to Bucky and nuzzling into his pillow.

\--------------

  
**Saturday**

Jamie and Maddie had slept on the downstairs couches and were still asleep when they ate breakfast at four-thirty the next morning. They all did their best to be quiet, though every once in a while Tony would get too excited and start speaking a bit too loudly and Bucky would immediately send him a glare that made him quiet down quickly.

Working at the restaurant went reasonably smoothly. At one point a group of soccer moms came in and fawned over Steve, which was fine, until they all asked to feel his arms, which got weird quickly. Around the time the fourth woman was groping him Steve looked up and noticed Bucky a few tables away, the bucket of dirty dishes forgotten on his hip as he watched and grinned.

Bruce was also having a good day and managed to break from the monotone Host voice he’d had most of the week and play around with Tony. For some reason, they seemed to think it was hilarious to twirl a towel and slap Steve’s ass with it when he wasn’t looking, which had resulted in a competition to see who could do it the most and in Steve developing a fear of leaving his ass unguarded.

At one point in the day, a woman on a date had accidentally left her purse at her booth when she’d left. Bucky had found it and after snooping through it to check for firearms, bugs, or bombs, declared that someone should go and see if she was still in the area. Steve had shrugged and said “Let's just call her.”

“Great idea genius. And just where would we get her phone number?”

Steve’s ears flushed pink. “Umm…” he pulled out the note that had been left with his tip. “She, uh… wrote down her number for me."

Bucky stared at him. “What?”

“Yeah, I think she was… well shucks, Buck’, I don’t know.”

Bucky snatched the paper from his hand, scanning it quickly. “‘Call me up if you need some company… Big Boy’? She called you Big Boy, Steve.”

“Yeah Buck, you know how it is-"

“God, what has the world come to. She was on a date too.”

Steve shrugged. “I'm pretty sure some of the dames that have slipped me their numbers this week have been married. I don't know Buck, I-"

“Dames? Oh, Steve Rogers has _Dames_ now.”

“Aww, come on Buck’-"

“Attention diners!” Bucky announced, his voice so commanding everyone stopped to look at him. With his jacket covering his metal arm and his hair back in a ponytail, he bore an uncanny resemblance to Sergeant Barnes of the 107th infantry regiment. “I would like all of you to know that your waiter is not currently available, so please do not flirt with nor leave your number for him!”

“Buck-"

“He, in fact, is in a relationship. My friend Steve here has a girl back home who he cuddles with and who takes care of him when he gets sick, so he is not currently on the market! Any questions?”

No one said anything, though luckily, most people seemed to think it was sweet or funny instead of rude. “Good!” Bucky hoisted up his container of dirty dishes on his hip and marched to the kitchen, thinking twice when he was halfway to the door and turning around again to say “Thank you!” before marching into the kitchen.  
  
Tony and Thor were at the other door, watching and grinning.

\--------------

“Aww ‘Ma, you missed a show today,” Tony said, ignoring the way Steve groaned and shook his head. “Barnes, do you want to tell her?”

Despite Steve’s embarrassment, Bucky seemed to be just as confident about his actions as he had been earlier that day. “Steve was being harassed, and I put a stop to it.”

“It was just some phone numbers,” Steve defended.

Mrs.Ronnes raised an eyebrow. “Whose phone numbers?”

“A bunch of girls eating at the diner were giving Steve their phone numbers,” Tony explained like an excited child. “Because of course, I was in the kitchen where no one could see me."

“Of course dear.”

“Anyways, Bucky found out and announced to the entire restaurant the Steve has a girlfriend and that no one should try and flirt with him.”

Bruce wiped his cheek. “I believe his exact words were that Steve has a girlfriend who ‘cuddles him and takes care of him when he’s sick’. It was actually pretty sweet.”

Bucky crossed his arms, mumbling “You bet your ass it was.”

Mrs.Ronnes, however, was not amused. “Stevie, you didn't tell me you have a girlfriend.”

“Ah, that’s because I don’t,” Steve explained sheepishly. “Bucky took some, erm, creative license with that.”

“You are unavailable though,” Bucky pointed out. “And anyway, you didn't want any phone numbers. I did you a service.”

“Maybe I did want some of the phone numbers,” Steve argued. “You didn't ask.”

“What would you want phone numbers for? We’re leaving for New York in two days.”

Steve squared his shoulders, giving Bucky his Captain America stare. “That's still two days. Maybe I wanted to call a dame up for dinner.”

“Or dessert,” Tony added helpfully.

Bruce, being the only one who got the euphemism, snorted.

“You don’t want to get dinner with anyone, knucklehead.” Bucky turned to the others, making a face. “See what I have to deal with? He doesn't even know what he wants. Ninety-eight years old, and he’s still as indecisive as a teenager.”

“Ninety-eight years old?” A quiet, high pitched voice said behind them. Bucky moved out of the way to see Maddie, who was standing behind them with eyes wide. “That's so old!”

Bucky smiled and scooped her up, balancing the little girl on his hip. “You bet he is. Stevie here is almost a century old.”

“Omg, do you remember the dinosaurs?”

Steve snorted, but when he smiled and replied, he looked at Bucky, not Maddie. “Yeah. We used to ride them to get to school.”

\------------------

Bucky had a little sister Rebecca, or just Becca. He was born to be a big brother, so much so that when he met Steve he was like a big brother to him to, and when he became a Sergeant he acted as a big brother to the men relying on him. That was part of the reason why Hydra’s brainwashing was such a cruel fate: Bucky was turned from a protector into a weapon.

But as fate would have it, he’d escaped Hydra and been able to heal, on some levels at least. As they walked, Bucky didn’t smile, not really, but he also didn't scowl. His eyes flitted around in a way that seemed curious, but Steve knew to actually be calculating. Bucky knew which people were most threatening, he knew their exit routes if things went bad. To Steve’s knowledge, he didn't have any guns on him, but Bucky wouldn't need any. If things turned sour Steve had no doubts that Bucky would lift the little girl off of his shoulders, hand her to him or Bruce, pull out any one of his number of knifes, and do what he needed to do. Or maybe he wouldn't take out a knife, maybe he would just pull off his glove- Bucky hated punching people while wearing gloves, unless they were fingerless- and _then_ take care of any threats.  
Mr.Ronnes and Jamie had disappeared into a Jams and Jellies store a little ways back, but Maddie had been perfectly content continuing to ride on Bucky’s shoulders. Mr.Ronnes had no issue splitting up, which showed how much trust he had in the three of them. Steve couldn't decide if that trust was justified. Sure, the three of them were the most capable of protecting Maddie from any danger, but they were also the biggest beacons for danger.

Maddie started humming happily to a song only she knew the rhythm to. Her hands were rested on top of Bucky’s cap and Bucky held onto her ankles to keep her from falling over. Steve could see him adjust his grip from time to time, making sure not to hold on too tightly. Countless people had died at those same hands, one flesh, one metal. And yet Bucky held on to the little girl’s ankles, determined to keep her upright, and determined to keep from so much as gripping too tightly.

Yes, he was a big brother alright.

“We could grab a snack,” Bruce suggested. “Or… is that a tailoring shop? I've been looking into getting a new jacket.”

“What do you think Buck? Where do you want to go?”

Bucky shrugged, the motion making Maddie bounce a little on his shoulders.

“We’ll meet up with you later,” Steve decided. “Go get that jacket.”

They kept walking down to the next street when Maddie squealed and asked for them to go into the art show. Bucky shrugged again, which made Maddie giggle wildly. Bucky was still on edge but he smirked smally.

Maddie stayed on his shoulders into the art show, saying things like “Look at that blue!” and “Omg, did you know I have paint at home? Mom gave me a pack of 15 whole paints for my birthday and I’m really good at painting rainbows and my fish! Except I don't have fish, but omg, they're so pretty-"

They moved on to the next wall which had a few paintings by the same artist, including some landscapes and pinup girls. When Bucky realized, he immediately covered Maddie’s eyes with his hand.

“Hey!” She objected, giggling.

“Reminds me of some of the posters,” Bucky thought out loud.

“You buy ‘em, we’ll fly ‘em,” Steve recounted. “Buy war bonds today!”

\---------------

The shopping center they’d been at was about a 45 minute car ride from the town Mr. and Mrs. Ronnes lived in. The girls slept in the front seat of the truck on the drive back, and Bruce ended up laying down in some of the hay in the back of the truck. “I bet Tony could fall asleep here,” he mused. “Did you know he finds the hum of machines comforting? All of his machines of course are incredibly quiet, but sometimes he purposely makes them make noises because he likes it more.”

Back at the house, Tony and Thor had been hard at work laying out blankets outside and helping Mrs.Ronnes with dinner. When she saw her husband, Mrs.Ronnes started talking to him excitedly about the preparations and he listened silently. When she was done, he presented her with a jar of peach jam, smiling proudly.

They ate in the front yard picnic style. Bucky leaned back against the grass, his chest rising and falling slowly. Maddie sat in his lap with her plate of food, eating and talking while Bucky nodded, only half listening.

“You hungry?” Steve asked. He’d learned that, when asking Bucky questions like that, it was better to say ‘are you hungry?’ than ‘why aren’t you eating?’ Asking him if he wanted anything gave Bucky the chance to say yes, because in that case, the only right answer was the honest answer. Bucky wasn’t the best about caring for himself: another remnant of his Winter Soldier Days. You don’t eat when you’re only awake for long enough to kill.

Bucky thought about the answer, then shrugged. “I’m fine.”

“I’ll go grab you a plate-”

Bucky grabbed Steve’s wrist before he could leave, pulling him back. “I’m fine,” he repeated, this time with a small smile. “You don't have to mother me,” he said, switching to Russian.

“I'm not mothering you,” Steve argued, also in Russian.

“Secrets don’t make friends,” Tony said- _also in Russian_.

Bucky rolled his eyes, switching to Japanese. “He’s not wearing his suit, we could take him and finish him off this time.”

Tony scoffed, pretending to be offended. “Rude.”

“Tony, you speak Japanese?” Steve asked. His Japanese was a little rusty, but the serum made learning and retaining languages much easier.

“I'm more surprised you know Japanese, Mister All American Cracker.”

Steve hesitated, then in French: “We need to find a better code language.”

Bucky blinked. “I don’t know what you just said,” he admitted in English.

Tony grinned. “Oh-ho-ho Baguette. Ton petit garçon navet ne connaît pas nos secrets.”  
  
Bucky looked in between them as Steve made a face. “Let's try Latin?”

“I don’t speak Latin.”

Tony also shook his head, looking disappointed.

“Portuguese?”

They both shook their heads.

“Spanish?”

“We learned Spanish together, remember?” Steve said in English.

“Finalmente, tomate. ¿Cómo se siente ser superado en habilidades de habla por un asesino?” _Finally, you tomato. How does it feel to be outmatched in speaking skills by an assassin?_

“Malo.” _Bad_. “Si yo congelado el pasado setenta años yo tendría recogido más.” _If I wasn’t frozen the past seventy years I would have collected more._

“Muy decepcionado, Rogers.” _Very disappointing, Rogers_.

“You should teach me Portuguese,” Steve suggested, back in English.

Tony, obviously upset he was no longer the center of attention, added in “J'aimerais vous apprendre le français, le navet de bébé.”

“Dammit Tony-" Bucky immediately lurched forwards, covering Maddie’s ears with his hands, and as an extra precaution, switched back to Russian, saying the equivalent of “I'll learn French, then you'd better fucking watch out.”

\---------------

It started out simply enough.

Jamie had somehow managed to get one of her frisbees stuck in a tree. Bruce, who’d been playing with her, tried throwing some things up to knock it out, but alas, it was stuck. “Someone has to climb up and get it,” Jamie said sadly, and then added “Anyone who can get it would be my hero!”

That, complete with her puppy dog face, was more than enough encouragement. Tony and Thor both jumped to their feet, running towards the farmhouse with hands outstretched for their weapons, but before they could, Steve and Bucky were making eye contact, communicating without words. Steve grabbed his shield and ran to the base of the tree. “Mets-toi à genoux pour moi, chère tomate,” Bucky muttered. “Tout comme dans l'Allemagne nazie.”

Steve knelt and positioned the shield as Bucky sprinted towards him, using the shield as a launchpad to thrust himself upwards. He snagged the frisbee and flipped mid air, landing in a roll.

This resulted in Jamie squealing and proclaiming Bucky her hero, and then in Thor and Tony objecting, claiming it was an unfair fight, etc etc, and demanding they get a chance to “prove their worth” as well. Which, in the end, resulted in a full on talent competition, with Mrs.Ronnes, Maddie and Jamie as the judges.

“Alright, alright, just don’t go overboard,” Steve conceded.

“Overboard?” Tony mused, “I think you have us mistaken for someone else.”

Five minutes later, they were sitting on the blankets when Thor and Tony took stage, announcing “Behold! The amazing magicians!”

“Oh, this is going to be good,” Bucky muttered in a way that implied he thought it was going to be really, really bad.

“Behold! The great Thor-zini with his magical hammer-"

“And the great Tony, with his Iron hands!”

“Titanium-alloy,” Tony coughed. He flexed his red iron man gauntlets, the fingers moving robotically. “Thor-zini, what is our first trick?”

“For our first trick, we will create fire!”

“Save that for the big finale,” Tony muttered.

“We will create rain!”

“Better. Subtle. I like it.” Tony raised his hands to the sky yelling, “Abra-cadabra!”

Rain poured down from the sky after a moment, the type of hesitation you would expect from an old sprinkler system, raining down only over Tony and Thor’s heads. The judges applauded, Mrs.Ronnes calling out “Incredible!”

“For our next trick, we will soar into the heavens!”

“I will fly!” Tony corrected. “Just me.” He faced his palms towards the ground and the thrusters shakily lifted him up about a yard. The judges clapped again.

Thor had shut the rain off, which somehow hadn't touched either of them. He pouted. “Can I do the finale?”

“Fine. But nothing too crazy.”

“For my last trick, I will harness the power of the sky!”

Thor ended up summoning lightning through his hammer, which was actually a pretty neat trick, but the thunder scared the girls, so it was only partially a success.

For Steve and Bucky’s talent, they decided to spar. They purposely went slow and used more complex, cool looking moves, and all in all the judges received it well.

“I guess that leaves me,” Bruce sighed, getting to his feet slowly. “For my trick I'm going to turn into a giant green rage monster.”

“Bruce-"

“I'm kidding.” Bruce gave them a look, rolling his eyes. “I actually have a slightly different trick, though I think it’s just as exciting.” From behind his back he produced three apples and began to shakily juggle them.

Steve tried not to get too upset when Bruce inevitably won.

\---------------

 **Sunday**  
  
It was the last day that they were working, and there was a bit of excitement in the air, the kind that came from being tired but seeing the end in sight. They ended up finishing setting up ten minutes before the restaurant opened so Tony set two of his sandwich robots on the floor to fight while the others gathered around, cheering for their chosen victor. In the end some ketchup was squirted into the control panel of one and it stopped working. Tony took it away to clean mumbling something about making the next batch of bots waterproof.

There was also more excitement because of their special guests. At three in the afternoon they closed down the restaurant, pulling one table out and dressing it up nicely. Bruce opened the door and greeted their guests, complimenting Mr.Ronnes on his shirt and Mrs.Ronnes on her skirt. Mrs.Ronnes was clutching onto her husband's arm for dear life and spoke so quietly the others couldn't hear her.

They were lead to the table and Mr.Ronnes pulled out the chair for his wife.

Bucky hurried over and filled up their water glasses, asking for their drink orders, and then a few minutes later, Steve came over to ask what they wanted to eat. By that point Mrs.Ronnes had calmed down and was able to smile and talk playfully with Steve once more.

The others tried to be discrete when they watched through the kitchen windows, but it didn't seem to matter. The couple only had eyes for each other, holding hands across the table and talking together with small smiles on their faces.

At the end, Mr.Ronnes pulled Steve aside to pay him, speaking quietly. “Thank you. She doesn't like leaving the house very much, so this was a very special occasion. And I would like to thank you for coming to our little town too. She loves having company; you boys made her week.”

\------------  
  
That night, Steve waited in the upstairs hallway, already in his pajamas. Tony had hooked him up with a pair of trademark captain America jammies that resembled the first costume he’d worn, except was a bit softer with more comfortable material, and just a little looser.

The door to their shared room creaked open, and Bucky stepped out, a slightly tired, slightly amused smirk on his face. He wore a pair of army green camouflage footsie pajamas. “Not a word,” he reminded Steve.

“I have no comments,” Steve reassured. “Shall we?”

That night they stayed up longer than they had any other nights that week, talking and trading stories. After a while Steve realized that Bucky had been even quieter than normal, and looked over to find that his head was rested on his shoulder, and Bucky had fallen fast asleep.

 

 

 

  
**Epilogue**

“I would like to thank you for trying out the team bonding activity, and for taking it seriously,” Agent Coulson said. “And, I would like to let you know that your salaries for the week have been successfully delivered to the restaurants regular staff. They now have an additional $400 from your weeks work.”

Tony looked up. “Excuse me? You mean, per day, right?”

“No, you each worked 40 hours, making more than minimum wage in Wyoming, so about 10 dollars an hour times 40 hours… yeah, a little less than 400 dollars each. That’s a salary of about 20,000 dollars a year."

Tony looked like he was about to pass out.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you enjoyed it and if you have any requests for other Avengers fics!


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